Everybody, me included, worries about how much it has rained in Kruger and actually forgets that there are other National Parks also that needs rain urgently.I have heard on television that the Alldays area is still extremely dry - game farmers have to feed their stock and already have lost animals to the drought. Only about 40 km from Mapungubwe!Does anybody have information on recent rainfall in Mapungubwe?

I saw on weather sa website a report of 4mm at Pontdrift a few days ago . Unfortunately thats all I know of .

KNP is sacred.I am opposed to the modernisation of Kruger and from the depths of my soul long for the Kruger of yesteryear! 1000+km on foot in KNP incl 56 wild trails.200+ nights in the wildernessndloti-indigenous name for serval.

Hi naomi c. At the moment I don't have any recent info, but will try to find out sometime soon.

It is not unusual for Mapungubwe to receive very late rains. The area can be very dry and I have seen 30-year old pictures where the plains around Mapungubwe Hill are as dry as the Kgalagadi. The mixture of bushveld and Kalahari characteristics makes the area suitable for animals like gemsbok, eland and bat-eared fox in combination with 'Kruger-game' like zebra and impala.

Last year the rains came very, very early (September!) and the overall rainfall was good too, which led to excellent bird activity in the Maloutswa seasonal wetland. Although Mapungubwe has quite a good 'carrying capacity' for game, a problem arises when the Tuli area in Botswana is equally dry. This will mean more and more elephants will move into Mapungubwe in stead of them moving back during summer.

Weather bureau reports 27 mm in the 10 days up to 21 Nov at Pontdrift (close to western boundary of Mapungubwe)

KNP is sacred.I am opposed to the modernisation of Kruger and from the depths of my soul long for the Kruger of yesteryear! 1000+km on foot in KNP incl 56 wild trails.200+ nights in the wildernessndloti-indigenous name for serval.

naomi c wrote:How did you enjoy Tshugulu Lodge - are we going to see some photo's?

Yip, I have a few photos....will post later in the week. For us, Nshawu guest house in Olifants has always been the ultimate place SANParks has to offer.....after Tshugulu it is now a bit difficult to put Nshawu first....Tshugulu might even be a bit ahead of Nshawu because you actually get more for your money....yip, it is still a lot of money, but what you get for that money is just unreal...

Glad to see another person who has fallen for Mapungubwe. Good to hear about the rain in the park. What was your game viewing like - any lion or leopard ? Is the hide at the end of the forest boardwalk repaired yet as I had heard that the Limpopo took it earlier this year.

Nope, no lions or leopards…..but we are also not really lion “hunters”….we were lucky tho to get a leopard fix previously during our trip while in Kruger (x2 ). Did however get up close and personal with a beautiful Eland bull right next to the Sunset deck at the confluence.

Strangely we also did not see even one elephant. While stocking up Musina, I got chatting to a lady who is obviously just as in love with this park…told us that they often visit just for the day. She said that we might not find many ellies because of the rain that fell….apparently the elephants then move into Tuli….JoelR, do you know if this is true?

Re the hide: When we booked in, the lady at reception told us the hide is still closed, but when we got to the Treetop walk, the hide was open….wonderful place to spend some time and we especially enjoyed the bird life.